


Long After Stanford

by MixedCanary



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU: Canon divergence, Canon divergence- Stanford, Coming Out, Dean and Sam Reunion, Lawyer Sam, M/M, Sam Finds Out, Secret Relationship, Sober Dean Winchester, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 07:48:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22492552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MixedCanary/pseuds/MixedCanary
Summary: What happens when Sam stayed at Stanford and Dean continued to hunt.Dean shows up at Sam’s house needing help over ten years later.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Jessica Moore/Sam Winchester
Comments: 8
Kudos: 492





	Long After Stanford

**Author's Note:**

> This is just my little imagine of if Dean hunted alone until he met Cas and the rest of the gang, but now he needs to speak to Sam for the first time in 13 years, but things have changed.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

  
A hunt lead them to Connecticut. Dean didn’t particularly like coming this far, but he was left no choice - they had to find Rowena and there was a lead. In Connecticut. This meant he would have to do something he hadn’t done in 13 years. He’d have to ask his brother for help. 

After Sam graduated from Stanford, he studied law at Columbia, and Jess got a job writing for a magazine in New York. Then they moved in together, then engaged, then married. They moved out of the city when Jess got pregnant 7 years ago. Sam missed his brother. He had been told that he died a year before he got married. Sam struggled with who to pick as best man. 

Although not hunting, Sam was still careful. Jess knew everything and had gotten the anti-possession tattoo on her ankle, and lil Deedee wore a necklace with it on. There was a devils trap painted under the door mat and holy water mixed in the ice. Sam didn’t hunt, but he took preventative measures. 

Dean had kept an eye out for Sam. Looked him up often enough to know where he lived and where he worked. Now he needed his help - and it broke him to know he’d be disturbing the life he built for himself. Dean and Cas sat in the impala a street over from where Sammy lived. The middle of suburbia. “Do you want me to come with you?” Cas asked.   
“No, Cas- god, there’s just- there’s just so much he doesn’t know.”  
“I understand, Dean.” Cas replied, before reaching out and taking his husband’s hand. “Call me if you need anything, I’m going back to the motel to finish this reading on the lore.”  
“Okay, darlin’,” Dean said, “Call me if you find anything- okay?” Cas nodded and kissed Dean, and as soon as he pulled away, he was gone. 

Baby was parked around the corner. He needed to ease Sam into this- he still thought Dean was dead from the first time, and Dean had kept it that way to protect him. He hated that he was going to disturb his little brothers life, but he couldn’t say he wasn’t looking forward to seeing him. Dean saw the house number. The mailbox that said ‘Winchester’. He could see the lights on in the house. He took a deep breath, walked up to the door, and knocked. 

Barking. “Calm down, Singer!” Shouted a women’s voice. Jess. “Mommy, someone’s at the door.” Deedee shouted back. Deans heart swelled up when he heard that voice. He had a niece. “I’m coming, I’m coming.” Dean could hear Jess’ voice getting louder until she opened the door. She stopped still, looking at Dean with trepidation. _It couldn’t be him_ she thought, _he may look like Sam’s brother, but it’s not him._  
“May I help you?” Jess said stiffly.   
“Hi, yeah, um, sorry- is Sammy in?”  
“Who’s asking?” She folded her arms and eyes him curiously, but before he could respond there was a little girl was peaking her head out from behind her Mom’s legs. “Mommy, are you not going to read to me? It’s almost bedtime?”  
“Of course I’m going to read to you sweetheart, go and get your Dad to come to the door, and then get your jammies on, okay?”  
“Okay, Mommy!” She said before patting the dog on the head, and running up the stairs. 

As soon as she was out of earshot, Jess’ head snapped to Dean. “Who are you? _What_ are you?”  
“It’s me, it’s...”   
“Dean?” Sam asked, reaching the front door.   
“Hiya Sammy!” Dean said before Sam opened a small drawer on the inside of the front door, pulling out a vile and dousing Dean with holy water. “Do all your checks, Sammy. Then we have to talk.”

“It’s really you?” Sam is in awe.   
“It’s really me.” Dean replies before Sam grips him in a tight hug, then pulling away and punching Dean in the arm.   
“I thought you were dead!”  
“I was. I have been a few times, actually “  
“Excuse me?” Sam was taken aback.   
“Let’s sit down, then I’ll try to explain.” Dean said, Sam nodded and walked towards the kitchen, Dean at his heals. Dean sat down at the table and took his phone from his pocket to place on the table, in case he got a message from Cas about a lead. Sam took two beers out of the fridge and went to open them. “Oh, not for me, thanks.” Dean gruffed. Sam pinched his eyebrows in confusion briefly before asking “Whisky? I’m sure I’ve got some somewhere-“  
“Just a coffee would be great thanks, Man.” Sam nods and shrugs simultaneously, replacing one of the beers into the fridge and turning to his fancy coffee machine. 

When Sam sets the coffee in front of Dean, he gets a Thanks, followed by “Cute kid. How old is she?”  
“Deedee is six now. I feel like yesterday she was the size of my hand.”   
“I’m so happy for you, Sammy - and I hate to barge into your life like this.”  
“I’m guessing it’s a long ol’ story, huh?” Dean nodded at this, “You sure you don’t want a beer?”   
At this Dean reached into his shirt and pulled out a long chain that had been hiding underneath. It had a couple of chips attached to it. “Nearly 2 years sober.” Dean explains before returning the necklace to underneath his shirt. “Wow, Dean, that’s- wow, man good for you!” Dean huffed and rolled his eyes. “But what made you... if you don’t mind me asking... was it really that bad?”  
“Oh come on Sammy, I’ve always been a functioning alcoholic, but I lost someone. And I mean I’ve lost a lot of people but one just... I was drinking myself to death, but then they came back. I’d be dead in a pool of whiskey if they hadn’t.” Dean finished and took a sip of his coffee.   
“I’m sorry to hear you’ve lost so many people, Dean.”  
“It’s the job. The life. And there is so much more out there than you know. When I think back to when we hunted together I can’t believe how clueless we were.” Dean started, and Sam just listened intently. “I’ve been to hell, I’ve been to heaven, I’ve died,” he stops to take another sip of coffee, “Stopped the apocalypse, and stopped the world ending. Stopped Lucifer, stopped God’s sister, and Michael, and the freakin’ Leviathan, and the angels.”  
“I’m sorry- but angels, God? That’s, they’re... real?”  
“Yeah, Sammy. It’s all real. But not like how you’d expect. Angels are, for the most part, dickwads. God is called Chuck and he doesn’t care. I actually should probably put some wards up in here. Will Jess kick off if I ruin the wallpaper?”  
“No, but I might.”  
“Quit being such a girl, Sammy! Have you got a marker?” Sam huffed out, and went into the next room, returning with a pink marker pen. “Be careful, this is Deedee’s and she’ll be mad if it gets ruined.” Dean chuckled, and walked off to start the wards. 

Sam was sat at the table when Dean returned a few minutes later and sat opposite him, throwing the marker pen down on the table. “Done.” He said, before scraping his left hand down his face. That’s when Sam saw it. On Dean’s ring finger was a plain gold band. “You’re married?” Sam asked optimistically, Deans cheeks flushed, “she in the life? A hunter?”  
“Sort of. Yes? Yes. But it’s complicated.”  
“Still motel hopping?” Sam asked, curious about his brother’s life.   
“No. We, ah, there was this organisation back in the day. The Men of Letters. Hunters, and we are sort of legacy’s? But they all disappeared in the 60s - so we live in the bunker now. It’s big. We’ve made it home though. Library full of lore books, you’d love it.”   
“That’s... incredible. We’re legacy’s?”  
“Dad’s Dad was a Hunter, didn’t want Dad in the life so never told him. Just like how Mom never planned on telling us. She was a hunter too. The Campbell’s are almost as famous as the Winchester’s in the hunting world. Almost.”  
Sam tried to take all this new information in, when Dean’s phone buzzed. A text from Cas. He picks his phone up of the table and reads the message. _Found something. Call me xxx_  
“Sorry I just gotta make a call.” Dean says getting up. Sam nods as Dean raises the phone to his ear and disappears from the kitchen whilst saying “Hey darlin’, whatcha got?” Down the phone. Sam thinks his voice is deeper. More world weary. His accent is stronger too, especially since Sam had lost his southern tinge years ago. 

When Dean returned he dumped his phone back on the table, lock screen still illuminated. Sam snatched the phone when he saw the picture. It was Dean, smiling so wide, with his arm around a redheaded girl. “Dude!” Dean chastised.   
“Is this her? Your wife? She’s pretty.” Sam said, examining the picture.   
“No, that’s... that’s Charlie. She helped me through a lot. She helped me in ways I can’t explain. We, uh, we lost her a few years back.”  
“I’m sorry, Dean.” Sam said, setting Deans phone back down. “It happens. Look, Sammy- I-“  
“You’re not widowed, are you?” Sam interrupted, all of a sudden, the colour drained from his face.   
“No, Sammy! Who did you think I was on the phone to?! But I have been. A few times. Just gotta keep faith they’ll come back.”  
“Jesus, Dean. I don’t know what I’d do if...”  
“Yeah, well- you don’t need to worry about that. And I, uh, I need to head back to the motel, Cas has found something. Baby’s parked ‘round the corner. I’m sorry this was brief but I’ll stop by again tomorrow.”  
“We have a perfectly reasonable guest bedroom- why are you in a motel? I’m sure Deedee would love to meet her aunt and uncle.”  
“Sammy, stop. I...” he huffed out a breath. “You don’t want us here.”  
“Dean, why would you think that? At least let me see a picture of you and, Cas, was it?” Dean sighed loudly at this and took up his phone, searching for a picture of the two of them. He has one favourited from their wedding day. Before handing his phone over, he looks to Sam - worry in his eyes. “Look, Sammy - I’ll show you this then I’ll leave. If you still want me too, I’ll drop by tomorrow and tell you everything, just tell me what time is best for you, okay?”  
Sam was concerned at this, but nodded “Okay.”

Dean handed the phone to Sam, and braced for impact. “Oh,” Sam breathed out. Looking at the picture. Dean was in a tux, and so was the man standing next to him. Their hands were entwined. They were smiling at each other. Sam can’t remember Dean looking that happy. “Dean I’m sorry I presumed. That was a dick move of me.”  
“It’s okay, Sammy. Look, I can head off-“  
“I’m sorry I didn’t know you were gay. You were always such a ladies man... I never thought that...”  
“I’m bi, Sammy. And besides, Dad made his views on same sex relationships very clear.”  
“Shit, Dean. I’m sorry. You know I love you regardless, right?” Sam’s voice was soft. It caused Dean to look up to meet his brothers eyes. “I’m just glad you’re alive and you’re happy.”  
“Thanks Sammy.” Dean’s voice was gruffer than usual. Trying to hide the emotion he felt. “I should get back to him.” He said, standing.   
“Okay. But tomorrow you check out of the motel and you bring Cas here. Jess can take Deedee to Ballet in the morning so I’ll be here.”   
“Thanks, Sammy.” Dean said once again and hugged Sam. “Dean, I just want you happy. He makes you happy?”  
“Yeah, Sam. He does.”


End file.
